One of the most heart-wrenching aspects of the Sept. 11 terror attacks was that many victims, thanks to the widespread use of mobile phones, were able to call loved ones and say goodbye.

Now, Verizon along with Sprint PCS are offering their customers free cassettes of the voicemails they received that day, preserving final messages to families and friends.

Verizon said voicemail messages would normally be erased within 30 days to make room for new messages. It has stopped erasing messages for residents and businesses in lower Manhattan for the next two weeks, but was unable to do so nationwide because of storage constraints.

To obtain a free cassette tape, Verizon customers should call their local Verizon business office; Verizon Wireless customers should call 1-888-466-4646. Account holders must provide voice-mail passwords, and will only be able to get tapes of their own messages.

The cassettes will then be mailed to the customers, leaving them with a final recording of those who died in the Sept. 11 tragedy.